Let The Games Begin
by MorningSkies
Summary: James Sirius Potter is going to be Gryffindor Seeker this year. After all, who could stand in his way! Enter Alex Krum, daughter of the famous Victor, and James' new Quidditch rival. There's going to be fireworks- in more ways than one...
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not J K Rowling, and I don't own anything- I could cry :(**

* * *

It all started on my first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Now, I was the first one on my dad's side of the family to go to Hogwarts; the famous Victor Krum had been to Durmstrang and had protested loudly when my mother announced I would be going to Hogwarts instead. In her defence, I had spent my entire life in England and there seemed little point in journeying half way across Europe to go to school when the best magical academy in the world was a mere train ride away.

So Dad had given in grudgingly and my mother won, something which she was incredibly smug about. My Mum was Katie Bell, also an ex- Quidditch player whom my father had met when he spent a season playing for the Montrose Magpies some twenty or so years ago. They're both retired now obviously. Dad left Puddlemore United in his early thirties and by that time I'd been born so he stuck around in England instead of going back to Bulgaria; he's Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports now. Mum retired at a similar time and went on to edit _Quidditch Weekly. _

So I think it's fair to say that I, Alex Krum, have been brought up surrounded by the best game in the magical world. And now I'm heading to Hogwarts where the rule banning first years from the teams has been removed. It is going to be amazing, after all, who could be better at Quidditch than me?!

* * *

My parents take me to King's Cross on the morning of 1st September, both of them more nervous than me. I think Dad still wishes I was going to Durmstrang instead.

The first time I walk through the magical barrier, I close my eyes and brace myself to crash head first into a brick wall. Of course, I simply appear in front of a scarlet train billowing thick smoke, but it's still odd to think about what just happened.

Get a grip, I tell myself, you're a witch for God's sake.

Parents and students are milling around the platform, hugging and kissing one another and chasing after escaped pets. My heart pounds slightly at the sight of so many people I don't know. They'll be friendly won't they?

'Ooh, there's Angelina!' says Mum suddenly and leads us over to where her close friend, Angelina, is standing with her daughter, Roxanne.

I breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing them. Roxanne and I are the same age and have always gotten on well, having seen quite a lot of each other whilst growing up because of our Mums' friendship.

'Hey,' grins Roxanne, also grasping a broomstick and not looking remotely worried. What I wouldn't give for her relaxed nature.

'Hi,' I say, trying not to show just how scared I am, 'Looking forward to it?'

She nods enthusiastically, 'Of course! I've been dying to go ever since Fred started last year!'

Ah, talk of the devil and he shall appear.

Fred Weasley swaggers (that is the only way to describe it) over to us, accompanied by a tall boy with rather unruly dark hair.

'Ooh, you're starting as well, are you Alex?' Fred laughs.

Honestly, the boy's only a second year! That's almost as bad as being a first year.

'Yes,' I snap.

'Touchy!' he laughs and then turns to his companion, 'James, this is Alex. Alex this is James.'

Ah of course. James Potter, one of the vast numbers of Roxanne and Fred's cousins. I've met his brother, Al, a couple of times when I've been at Roxanne's, but never James.

James grins rather wickedly, 'Another newbie? I hope you're prepared for the sorting.'

'What, sticking an old hat on my head? I think I'll survive.'

James and Fred exchange equally evil grins, and James continues, 'No, that's how they did it in the old days. Now you have to wrestle a troll, they bring one in from the mountains especially for the first years.'

'There's always at least one death,' says Fred, deadly seriously.

'Shut up!' says Roxanne, looking slightly less calm herself now.

'Ah the old troll story,' comes a laughing voice from behind us, 'I used to terrify Ron with that one.'

'No you did not!' snaps an irritated voice.

Roxanne and Fred's father, George, has appeared, accompanied by a group of adults and children, that I immediately realise contains the famous Harry Potter, as well as Albus and who must be Ginny and Lily. Also amongst them is a tall ginger man (no doubt another uncle), a big haired woman and two children.

From my left, Dad muffles a snigger and holds his hand out to Harry, who shakes it warmly.

'Hello, Victor,' says the woman with all the hair, 'I've not seen you at the Ministry for a while. Ooh, hello Katie, Angelina.'

The tall man who must be her husband merely glares at my Dad. Judging from my father's expression, the dislike must be a mutual feeling.

'I think it's time to get on the train,' says Harry Potter, glancing down at a battered watch on his wrist.

Of course there's then a long procession of hugs. My parents both hug me at least three times each and make me promise to write and tell them how Quidditch try-outs go. Then I find myself being hugged by Angelina before James and Fred evidently tire of the performance and shepherd us all onto the train.

'Come on, little first years, you'll be fine.'

Okay this James guy is really starting to irritate me, Harry Potter's son or not.

After lugging numerous trunks and- most importantly- broomsticks down the corridor, we find an empty compartment and collapse into it. Roxanne sits next to me, Al sits opposite and the daughter of the other two adults on the platform sits next to him. Fred and James loll in the window seats and start talking about the Quidditch try-outs that are sure to be held within the week.

'Hello,' says the unknown girl to me, 'I'm Rose Weasley.'

I smile at her, 'Hi, I'm Alex Krum.'

The conversation from the window side of the compartment breaks off.

'Hold on a minute,' demands James suddenly, 'Krum? As in Victor Krum's daughter?'

'Honestly, James,' sighs Roxanne impatiently, 'You know I'm friends with her. And Victor Krum was standing next to us on the platform for God's sake!'

'I didn't notice,' he says, looking slightly dazed.

Then a slightly horror struck look passes over his features. He turns to me quickly, 'What position do you play?'

I raise an eyebrow, 'Seeker, of course.'

He swears and exchanges a significant look with Fred.

Fred turns to me, 'What house do you think you'll be in?'

I shrug, 'Hopefully Gryffindor, maybe Ravenclaw.'

'So we could be playing with you or against you,' muses Fred, looking deep in thought as though plotting a coup.

'With her?' splutters James, 'I'm trying out for Seeker! She's not going to get it!'

'You might not get it either,' points out Al, 'Dominique's undefeated as Gryffindor Seeker, and she's a third year while you're only a second year.'

James glares at his brother and then at me.

Great, I've been on the train for five minutes and have apparently already started a feud with the oldest Potter child.

'Well, _if_ I am in Gryffindor,' I say, placing a big emphasis on if, 'Then we'll both have to try out and the best one of us will get it.'

'Is that a challenge?' he asks, raising his eyebrows.

'Erm, no, not really-'

'Because I accept!' he says dramatically, and with that he flounces out of the compartment, quickly followed by Fred.

'What the hell is wrong with him?'

'We've all wondered that for years,' says Al.

Ignoring the James Potter factor, the journey to Hogwarts is great fun. Roxanne, Al and Rose are all easy to get along with and we spend most of the train ride discussing the sorting.

'I just have to be in Gryffindor,' declares Roxanne, 'Dad and Fred will never forgive me if I'm not.'

'Same,' mutters Rose, 'Although Ravenclaw would be alright.'

In a way I feel sort of lucky that only one side of my family has been to Hogwarts. There's definitely no pressure on me to get in a certain house. Mum was in Gryffindor but her own mother was in Ravenclaw and her father was in Hufflepuff. So whatever house I'm put in, I'm sure it'll be fine. Even if I end up in the dreaded Slytherin, it still wouldn't be as bad as one of the houses at Durmstrang, which according to my father, every single member of has spent time in Azkaban.

'What do you think Al?' I ask.

'I just know I'm going to end up in Slytherin.'

'I'm sure you won't,' says Rose sympathetically, 'And if you do, we won't disown you or anything.'

Roxanne looks sceptical at this.

* * *

The Sorting Ceremony starts pretty much as soon as we get to the castle (after having practically swam through the lake) and when my name is called I hear several whispers about my father.

Yes, he's Victor Krum! I want to shout. Honestly, why are people so interested? Two of Harry Potter's sons are here, surely that's more fascinating than the daughter of a couple of Quidditch players?

Brilliantly, I am placed in Gryffindor as soon as the hat touches my head, and I go and sit at the long table. Unfortunately, I find myself sitting close to James who does not look happy that I am in his house.

'Welcome to Gryffindor,' says a slightly pompous, older girl next to me, holding out her hand.

'Thanks.'

'I'm Lucy Weasley, Head Girl, of course. You must be Alex Krum? Roxanne's told me all about you. I hope you'll be joining the Quidditch team?'

I glance at James who is glaring daggers at me.

'Yes, I will be,' I say confidently.

'Brilliant, just brilliant. We're hoping to make it four years in a row that we've won the cup. You see, the Head Boy is a Slytherin and we have a bet that-'

She's cut off by the Sorting Hat's proclamation.

Sitting under the hat which has just screamed 'Slytherin' is a very resigned looking Albus Potter. The hall is silent.

'Jesus,' mutters James, 'I was only joking with him. I thought he'd be in Gryffindor for sure.'

Head Girl Lucy also looks mildly appalled, but quickly recovers herself and starts talking about school unity.

Poor Al, I think as I watch him take a seat at the Slytherin table next to a blond boy who had been sorted just before him.

A few minutes later and I was joined at the Gryffindor table by Roxanne and Rose, both who look extremely relieved.

'Oh I feel so bad for Al,' mutters Rose, 'Everyone from both sides of his family have been in Gryffindor.'

'He might enjoy Slytherin,' I suggest.

James looks appalled, 'Don't be ridiculous Krum.'

Oh so we're no longer on first name terms now that I might get the Quidditch position he wants, are we?

'Shut up, Potter.'

* * *

Quidditch try-outs were held the first Sunday after we arrived, and what with all the new classes to get used to, I'd had no time to fly since I'd been here. I could only hope that neither had James.

The Gryffindor Captain is Ryan Wood, a burly sixth year who also plays Keeper. I assume he was the son of Oliver Wood, a guy who had played Keeper for Puddlemore United at the same time that my Dad was Seeker there. From the serious look of Ryan, I doubt very much that he would favour family friends though.

There's a big crowd trying out, although most of them have clearly hardly flown before. I hang back with Roxanne as we are all split into groups and made to fly around the pitch. Half of the applicants are sent back to the castle there and then.

'Okay!' shouts Ryan loudly pointing at various areas of the pitch, 'I want everyone who wants to try out for Chaser over there. All the Beaters over here and the Seekers down there.'

There were loud protests from a pretty blonde girl who looked a couple of years older than me.

'I've told you, Dominique, everyone has to do the try-outs, even current team members!' yells Ryan.

Dominique flounces over to where me and the rest of the Seeker wannabes are standing and pouts at Ryan.

There are only five of us trying for Seeker. Me, James, Dominique, a skinny boy who must be at least a sixth year and a girl I recognise as being in fourth year. The last two are out of the running within minutes, having been soundly out flown by us three.

James can definitely fly. He's going to be a real challenge to beat.

After having seen us do laps, Ryan mounts his own broom and flies up to meet us, 'Okay, guys, I'm going to throw these golf balls around. It's quite simple, whoever catches the most wins the position.'

I move a few feet away from him and lose myself in the moment, focusing entirely on the small white ball in his hand.

His wrist flexes and the ball goes soaring through the air… right into James' outstretched hand.

'Well done, Potter,' says Ryan, eying James, 'Inherited the family talent, I see.'

I scowl, family talent?! Don't make me laugh.

I catch the next ball, then James again, then Dominique, then me, then Dominique. We're all pretty evenly matched, I must admit. Dominique is a great flier, although I notice she's quite conventional, she doesn't look like she'd throw herself off her broom or go into a Wronski Feint to catch the Snitch.

I lose count of the amount we've all caught by the time Ryan produces the final golf ball. Am I ahead, or is James?

James looks pretty smug but then from what I've seen this past week he's always like that, so it doesn't necessarily mean that he's in the lead.

I have to catch this one, though.

The ball flies out of Ryan's hand and curves through the air as if in slow motion. I see James twist his broom, I mirror his movements. We're both hurtling towards the falling ball and then, suddenly, our handles collide, knocking us both of course. He flips over the font of his broom, I slip off mine and soon we're lying in a crumpled heap on the pitch.

Dominique lands next to us, smugly clasping the final golf ball in her hand.

Ryan appears above us, frowning.

'You two are great fliers, no doubt about it. You're both Chasers. But if I have a single incident of you two not cooperating like a team then you're both out.'

And with that he goes over to congratulate the grinning Dominique on winning back the position of Seeker.

I untangle myself from James and clamber to my feet.

He glares at me, 'This is all your fault, Krum.'

Great.

* * *

**Okay so what did you think about the first chapter? Please review and let me know!**

**Oh, I know that I'm half way through writing a Rose/ Scorpius story as well, but I'm a bit stuck on where to go with that, and I've had this idea in my head for a while. But they'll probably be some Scorose in here as well ;)**

**Anyway, the next chapter's going to skip forward to Alex's sixth year and James' seventh (when Dominique will have left…) so there's not going to be loads of boring chapters about their first few years and hopefully it'll get more interesting. **

**Oh and sorry if Katie Bell and Victor Krum getting together is just a bit too random for you! Haha**

**Please review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_Five years later_

'Alex!' exclaims Roxanne as I stick my head round the door of her compartment grinning.

I hug my best friend, realising just how much I've missed her over the summer. I spent a lot of it with my cousins in Bulgaria and then she went away with her parents, so we've not seen each other since the end of fifth year. I notice her glossy dark hair is longer and she looks rather pleased with herself about something.

'How are you?' I ask excitedly; Roxanne always had great stories about her summer. Being the daughter of George and Angelina Weasley, otherwise known as the most relaxed parents in the world, she gets away with just about anything.

She grins slyly, 'I may have become better acquainted with Lysander.'

'Lysander Scamander?' I gasp.

'How many other Lysanders do you know?'

'Fair point. What happened?'

Lysander is a Gryffindor going into his seventh year like Fred and James. He's great fun and much more normal than his twin brother Lorcan who spends most of his time talking about Crumple Horned something or others. Not that I don't like Lorcan, it's just that Lysander the one to go to if you want to talk about Quidditch, or exams, or anything normal really.

'Well, while you were away, there was this massive party at the Potters' house and Lysander was there, and we ended up kissing. Then I saw him loads over the holidays.'

'Wow!' I feel slightly jealous that I missed out on the Potters' party. For the past three summers, Harry and Ginny have gone away for a weekend together and (rather naively) left James, Al and Lily home alone. Every time, without fail, James has organised a chaotic party and invited practically every Hogwarts student. Somehow, his parents have never found out about it, which is quite surprising considering Harry's the Head of the Auror Department.

Surprisingly, James and I have warmed towards each other over the years. We've been Chasers together on the Quidditch team for the past five years and have enjoyed five consecutive cup wins. I would go as far to call me and James friends- we've even hung out in Hogsmede a couple of times.

'I wished I could have gone,' I complain.

Roxanne looks sympathetic, 'Yeah James wanted you there as well. Oh, have you heard his news by the way?'

'What news?'

'He's been made Quidditch Captain.'

'What?!' I jump about a foot in the air and almost hit my head on the compartment celling.

How could James have gotten the captaincy? When I didn't get the badge I'd assumed it had gone to Frank Longbottom, another seventh year Gryffindor and an incredibly good Beater. In complete contrast to James and me he's calm and rational, the perfect captain.

'I knew you'd react like this.'

'Well of course I was going to react like this! What was McGonagall thinking?'

Roxanne looks slightly alarmed at my outburst, 'Chill, Alex. You're a great player, you'll still be on the team.'

'But Potter will take the Seeker position now Dominique's left!'

'Potter? You really need to calm down, Alex, you and him are friends remember!'

'Okay, okay.' I throw myself back into my seat and gaze out of the window dejectedly. I regret my spoilt-brat like outburst. It's not Roxanne's fault, after all.

'Maybe you can convince him to let you be Seeker, if you know what I mean.' She winks at me.

I raise my eyebrows, 'I'm not that desperate.'

'Whatever, all I'm saying is that there's chemistry between you two.'

'Who has Alex got chemistry with?' Al has appeared in the compartment doorway, smiling at us.

'Al!' I jump to my feet and hug him, the over the top reaction mainly being to divert his attention away from such dangerous waters as Roxanne's theory on me and James.

'Hey, Alex, how was your summer?'

'Oh it was good, I was in Bulgaria for most of it. How was your party?'

He laughs and shakes his head, 'As mental as ever. I don't know how James does it, our parents had no idea!'

It's funny just how different Al and James are; I know that if James hadn't organised it, Al would never have even thought of throwing a wild party while their parents were away. Appearance wise, the two brothers look incredibly similar, except for the fact that James' eyes are hazel and Al's are a bright green, but personality wise they are polar opposites. James is the spontaneous, cheeky and slightly arrogant one, while Al is calm, dependable and nice. Even more surprisingly, they get on incredibly well despite these differences.

Al sits down next to Roxanne and they exchange hellos. I try and control myself but before I know it I'm interrogating Al on his brother.

'So, I hear James is the new Captain,' I say in what I hope is an uninterested, casual voice.

Al sees through the façade straight away and bursts out laughing, 'I knew you'd be pissed off. I got the Slytherin Captaincy by the way.'

'Oh, well done, Al!' I give him another hug.

Are they handing out badges to everyone but me?! Next thing I'm going to hear that Fred Weasley has been appointed Head Boy!

I am honestly pleased for Al though. Even though he was initially upset to be put in Slytherin, he settled in quickly, becoming good friends with housemate Scorpius Malfoy. And, like Rose promised, we all stayed friends with him. Now we're some kind of five some- me, Roxanne, Rose, Al and Scorpius. Of course we're regularly joined by Fred, Lysander, Frank and James, the latter of which I'm sure just appears to try and wind me.

'Where are Rose and Scorpius?' asks Roxanne.

'Prefects carriage, of course,' laughs Al.

Of course. To no one's surprise, the two of them were made Prefects last year. Me, Roxanne and Al were pleased, especially because it meant Rose in particular could boss other people around and not just us.

The three of us pass the next hour chatting about various things until Rose and Scorpius appear and there's another round of hellos.

I can't help but notice how close together the two of them are sitting. Do their knees really need to brush one another's? I'm positive nothing is going on between them, but they definitely look comfortable with each other.

Hmmm.

My musing on Rose and Scorpius, however, are interrupted by the arrival of Fred, Lysander, Frank and (unfortunately) a certain James Potter.

The four of them squeeze into the already full compartment. Lysander immediately sits beside Roxanne and the two of them start giggling about something.

'I do not need to see you two all over each other,' warns Fred, before throwing himself into the seat opposite them.

'Why are you sitting there?' moans Roxanne.

'I'm supervising you,' says Fred, 'I don't trust Lysander.'

'Cheers mate.'

This is pretty hypocritical of Fred, a.k.a Hogwarts' biggest man slut. The guy is pretty hot admittedly but he's dating a new girl every week for God's sake.

Frank, meanwhile, has sat down with Al to talk about Quidditch, which leaves James to sit himself next to me.

'Hello, darling.'

I glare at him, 'Under no circumstances am I your darling.'

James does look good though. He's always been handsome but he's gotten even more attractive over the holidays. He's grown several inches, taking him to about 6''2, and his muscular body seems even more, well, muscular. Then there's the light tan which he probably got from spending the whole summer outside on a broomstick.

Not that I notice these things or anything.

He leans towards me and wraps an arm around my shoulders, 'Did you hear the news?'

'Yes,' I mutter through gritted teeth.

'Now, now!' he laughs, 'you're still on the team, Krum. Obviously I'll be the new Seeker though.'

'You're such a twat.'

'Now that is no way to speak to your new Captain, I may have to discipline you.'

Kill me now. I cannot deal with this for a whole year.

I ignore him, refusing to rise to the bait.

'You look nice, by the way,' he says, 'You're really tanned.'

I have to give him that, I am quite tanned. But I refuse to accept his compliment about me looking nice. I'm not his type anyway. He goes for skinny blondes with no brain cells. My hair is all brunette ringlets and I actually have a shape rather than just being straight up and down.

'I'm so looking forward to this year,' he continues, 'I was worried that they'd give the captaincy to someone who didn't know what they were doing. I suppose by appointing me they know they've got someone who can actually do the job properly.'

Okay, I know James well enough to know that he loves winding people up and the best thing to do is just ignore him. But him going on and on was really beginning to irritate me, so I did the incredibly mature thing of storming out of the compartment, leaving a few bemused faces behind me.

I storm down the corridor and stop by a window, pushing it open to get some breeze. Why the hell did I overreact like that? I squirm with embarrassment at the thought of everyone in the compartment discussing my strop.

'Are you okay, Alex?'

I look round to see the cheerful, kind face of Frank Longbottom.

'Oh, hi Frank. Sorry for the dramatic storming out.'

He laughs lightly and pleasantly, 'Don't worry about it, we all know what James can be like.'

'Ugh. Why the hell was he made Captain?' I moan, 'I thought you would be!'

'Well, there's sort of a reason why I wasn't.'

Frank produces a shiny badge from his pocket and pins it to his jumper.

'You were made Head Boy?! Why didn't you tell me?' I throw my arms around his neck and hug him.

He laughs again, 'Well you didn't really give me much chance to be fair.'

I've forgotten just how much I like Frank. I've known him since he joined the Quidditch team a few years ago and we've gotten on great ever since. I often think that he helps reign in James and Fred's impulsiveness.

'Maybe not,' I agree, 'Well done though! I bet your Dad was pleased.'

'Yeah he bought me the new Nimbus!'

Frank's father is Neville Longbottom, a family friend of the Potter- Weasleys who used to teach Herbology at Hogwarts up until a couple of years ago when his writing career took off. He's now a rather famous author on several Herbology books, and he's always contributing to magazine articles or radio discussions.

'Brilliant,' then I grimace, remembering James.

'It'll be fine,' Frank reassures me, 'He's only here for this year and I'm sure you'll get the captaincy next year.'

I smile, 'Thanks for cheering me up, sorry I was acting all diva-ish.'

'I'm used to it.'

'Thanks!'

We stroll back to the compartment in a companionable silence that is immediately broken as soon as we get back to our friends.

Roxanne detaches herself from Lysander and raises her eyebrows at me, 'Calmed down have you?'

'Yeah, yeah,' I sit back down, unfortunately next to James since there are no other seats. Rose and Scorpius are still sitting together, laughing about something amongst themselves. James and I could probably start firing the Avada Kedavra curse at each and they wouldn't notice.

'Alright, Krum?' asks James as I sit back down.

I sigh, 'Can we stop this last name stuff? We were friends last time I checked.'

'Okay, okay,' he grins at me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, 'I'm still Seeker though.'

If I make it through the year without hexing him, it will be a miracle.

* * *

**Okay so James is Captain and they're getting on a bit better. Well sort of. **

**Anyway, please review! I've only had one so far :( **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

As is usual for the start of term, the first week flies past in a haze of NEWT lectures and attempting to shepherd groups of nervous first years in the right direction. Both of which I see as a bit of a lost cause.

Lessons seem harder than ever and while Rose and Scorpius breeze through everything as easily as usual, Al, Roxanne and I seem to spend most of our time looking over their notes and asking teachers to repeat things.

That's why it's a relief when the first week is over and the weekend brings Quidditch trials. I've resigned myself to not being Seeker now, in fact, when I think about it I do really enjoy playing Chaser. So the thought of spending a day doing nothing but flying is incredibly appealing.

On Saturday morning, Rose, Roxanne and I all get up earlier than we'd usually choose to, yet to my surprise the Great Hall is packed with students eating breakfast.

Hmmm, looks like James may have a lot to contend with at try-outs.

The three of us take seats at the Gryffindor table and are quickly joined by Fred, Frank and Lysander, the latter of whom immediately starts kissing Roxanne. That is until Fred thumps him and forcibly sits between them.

'Where's James?' I ask.

Fred smirks, 'At the pitch already, planning the try-outs. I've got a feeling he's going to be even more of a dictator than Ryan Wood was.'

I shudder at the memory of Ryan, who was undeniably a great captain but who also had an unnatural fondness for hour long pep talks and training sessions beginning at four in the morning. Although it had obviously paid off; I heard the other day that he's been signed to the Montrose Magpies.

'This is why people shouldn't get so fussed about Quidditch,' mutters Rose as she spreads jam on her toast, looking a lot calmer than everyone else; she ignores the incredulous stares we all give her.

Ignoring her completely, Roxanne pushes past her brother (who seems to be acting as some kind of human iron curtain between her and Lysander) to ask us who we think will fill the vacant spots.

We need a new Keeper after Simon McLaggen left last year (no complaints there) and a Chaser. Currently Roxanne and I are Chasers, Fred and Frank are Beaters and James is the Seeker, although I'm still refusing to focus on that last point.

'Come on,' says Frank, glancing down at his watch, 'We don't want to be late and give James a heart attack.'

Don't we?

As we wander down to the pitch, I can't help but notice just how many people are doing the same. I can only suppose that the allure of James is attracting a bit of a crowd. I also notice that trying- and failing- to blend into said crowd are two tall boys, one with black hair, one with blonde hair and both on the Slytherin team.

'Hello Albus, Scorpius,' I say loudly.

They turn round and both give innocent smiles that fool no one.

'Hi,' says Scorpius with a fake air of nonchalance, 'Hey, Rose.'

'What are you doing here?' asks Fred suspiciously, staring at Scorpius in particular; unlike the rest of us, he's never been able to get past the fact that Scorpius is a Malfoy.

Al puts on a wounded face, 'You know, Fred, it hurts that you are so suspicious of your own cousin.'

'Oh come off it,' I laugh, 'You wouldn't be spying on the Gryffindor team, now would you?'

Both of them are terrible liars and I can see straight away that I've got it right.

Scorpius sighs, 'Well if that's out the window then I'm going back to the castle, I've got that Potions essay to do.'

'Ooh I'll come with you,' says Rose quickly, 'I've not done it yet either.'

And with that, they practically skip off together, leaving the rest of us staring open mouthed at their retreating backs.

'Jesus, Uncle Ron's going to have a heart attack,' mutters Fred.

When we reach the pitch- along with at least half of the school- James is surrounded by a group of giggling fourth year girls asking the most obvious questions about Quidditch. If any of them have ever been on a broom before, I'd be surprised. Maybe having sexy James Potter as Captain isn't the best idea.

Wait a minute! Did I just refer to him as sexy?!

Kill me now.

Spotting us, James hastily extracts himself from the fan club and heads over to us.

'Whoa its popular today,' he mutters, 'Why are so many people here?'

'Beats me,' shrugs Lysander, 'I don't see the appeal of you myself.'

'Cheers mate.'

James turns to me, 'Okay I may need some help here.'

'Hold on a minute! Is the amazing James Potter asking me for help?' I ask incredulously.

He glares at me, 'You know I'm still your Captain, Alex. I could didn't realise there would be so many people trying out.'

His eyes fall on Al and immediately narrow, 'What are you doing here?'

'Brotherly support,' says Al innocently.

James snorts, 'Yeah right.'

'I'm not the only one from a different house here,' Al protests, 'Look, he's in Slytherin as well, and those girls are in Hufflepuff for God's sake.'

He does have a point. Considering the fact that this is a try-out for the Gryffindor team, there does seem to be a lot of people from different houses.

James obviously has pan-school appeal.

James blows angrily on a whistle and then bellows, 'Anyone not from Gryffindor, go away now!' He turns to Al, 'That means you too.'

'What? I'm your brother!'

'Yeah, and you're also Captain of the rival team. Now piss off.'

Al shoots him a death glare and traipses back up towards the castle.

'Maybe go and hang out with Rose and Scorpius,' shouts Fred to his retreating back, earning him a rude hand gesture from Al.

'Okay!' yells James to the crowd, 'Now I know some of you aren't here for the Quidditch but for the sight of me, or possibly the delectable Alex Krum. Anyone who that applies to can also go back to the castle.'

This guy is unbelievable!

'James!' I stage whisper so not to attract attention, 'Stop talking about me like that!'

He shrugs unconcerned and begins dividing everyone into groups depending on if they want to play Beater or Chaser. A few of the younger ones are a bit confused, in fact I'm pretty sure some of them don't know what either of the positions entail.

'Which one do you think is harder?' a particularly small first year boy asks me nervously.

'Well it depends on your strengths. Beaters need a lot of upper body strength and need to constantly be on the move stopping the Bludgers. But then Chasers need to work perfectly with the other Chasers and need a great aim.'

'Of course, Seeker is the most tricky and prestigious position,' quips James as he walks past.

What a tosser.

As it turns out, almost all of the morning's proceedings are turned into a James ego fest. I can tell he loves watching people fly, telling them what they're doing wrong and then seeing them listen to his words as though they were the gospel. He seems to be flattered by the amount of girls batting their eyelashes at him and stroking his forearm as they ask how they did. And he seems to relish telling everyone exactly what to do.

A couple of hours in and Roxanne voices what everyone is thinking, 'How the hell are we supposed to cope with this for a whole year?'

I shake my head, fully aware that James' behaviour will only get worse once he has a few glorious Snitch catches under his belt.

By midday, trials are over and James, Fred, Frank, Roxanne and I are joined by a new Chaser in the form of a fifth year girl called Melinda Brown, and Danny Thomas as Keeper. Both of them flew exceptionally well and James somehow managed to notice this in the middle of all the ego stroking that was going on.

While Roxanne, Lysander, Fred and Frank head back up to the castle for lunch, I find I need a couple of minutes to cool off, so I shut myself in the changing rooms and take deep breaths.

I know that I'm being melodramatic but it's just that Quidditch means so much to me. It is absolutely everything. I can be the most stressed person in the world and then, when I get on a broom and go soaring through the air, all my troubles are lifted. I've known all my life that I want to go pro, but I also know just how difficult that will be; having a Captain such as James Potter will not help matters.

My thoughts are interrupted by someone coming in to the changing rooms, whistling happily.

Of course.

'Ah, hello, Alex, waiting to get me alone were you?'

I shoot James my dirtiest glare.

'Whoa!' he says, holding up his hands, 'What was that for?'

''You have no idea just how big a prat you are, do you?'

He rolls his eyes, 'Please tell me you've moved on from Seeker/ Captaincy-gate.'

'This isn't about you being Seeker, James, it's about you acting as if you're the best thing on the planet.'

'Don't be ridiculous, Krum, you're jealous.'

'Ha! Jealous of what? Acting like a complete twat?'

He takes a step back and looks hurt, 'What?'

At that moment, I catch a glimpse of the real James, behind the facade, and I immediately feel awful.

'Look, I'm sorry James, I just-'

'No,' he says, shaking his head and sitting down beside me, 'You're right.'

I look at him, wondering if this is a joke, 'Have you just admitted that someone besides yourself is right about something?'

'I guess I have,' he murmurs.

For some unknown reason, I take his hand and squeeze it. I like the feeling of our palms pressed together; his is warm.

'That's not you,' I say quietly, 'Yes you're cheeky, reckless and more than a little bit arrogant, but you're nothing like how you were acting earlier.'

'I know.' He runs a hand throw his already completely unruly hair, 'I just feel like I have to act in a certain way.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, I just have to be Seeker,' he mutters, 'Dad was, and my grandfather was. I just feel like I have this whole legacy to live up to.'

'I know how you feel.'

He looks up at me with those hazel eyes, 'Really?'

'Yeah, and I suppose that's why I was desperate to be Seeker too. I actually really like playing Chaser.'

'You're good at it.'

'Thanks.'

We're both silent for a while. James absent-mindedly rubs his thumb along my hand, it's nice.

And it was sitting there in silence, after the conversation in which James revealed his true self, that I realised I had just fallen a little bit in love with him.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I do not fancy James Potter.

I do not fancy James Potter.

I do not fancy James Potter.

'Hey, Alex,' James throws himself into the seat next to mine at the Gryffindor table and gives me his trademark cheeky grin.

Shit, I fancy James Potter.

'Hi,' I say in as casual a voice as I can muster. It's breakfast, a couple of weeks after the try-outs and I've been attempting to avoid James ever since. After our frank talk in the changing rooms, I feel myself blushing if I run into him, so I've spent the past fortnight ducking into classrooms and sprinting down corridors whenever I've caught a glimpse of him. Clearly such behaviour has not escaped his notice.

'So,' he says, 'Why have you been avoiding me?'

'Avoiding you? Why would you think I've been avoiding you?' I ask as innocently as possible.

He raises an eyebrow, 'The other day you hid behind a suit of armour when I shouted hello.'

Ah shit I'd forgotten about that.

I wave my hand before me, as if brushing this away, 'I've been under a lot of stress what with schoolwork and Quidditch. Sometimes the best remedy is to hide behind a suit of armour.'

Before James has a chance to question my sanity, however, a couple of girls appear by our table and, funnily enough, they're not here to see me.

'Hey, James,' says the tall, blonde one who I vaguely recognise as being a fifth year Ravenclaw. I take in her flawless appearance and immediately dislike the girl. I mean, who is she batting her eyelashes at _my _James?

Whoa! Did I just call him _my _James? God, if I carry this on I'm going to end up breaking into his house and boiling a bunny on the stove.

'Hi, Vicky,' says James slightly uncomfortably.

Vicky glances at her friend, takes a rather obvious deep breath and then turns to James and says, 'We were wondering if you wanted to come to Hogsmede with us today?'

'Oh erm, Hogsmede? I'd forgotten that it was today,' stumbles James, quite obviously lying.

Vicky's grin widens, 'Yeah it's today. We were thinking about going to the Hog's Head. My Uncle knows the barman so he'll definitely sell us Firewhiskey.'

'Sorry, girls, but I can't today.'

Vicky's smile falters slightly and a challenging look crosses her face, 'Oh? How come?'

'Erm, because, well…'

'He's already made plans to go to Hogsmede with me today,' I interject loudly, unable to endure another moment of perhaps the most painful conversation to have ever occurred.

Vicky's gaze flick from James to me, her eyes scanning me intensely for a moment and flashing rather dangerously.

If looks could kill.

'I thought you two hated each other,' she asks with a sceptical look.

James slings an arm round me, 'Nah, just some Quidditch rivalry. I'll see you around, Vicky.'

She glances at me for one last time and then struts off with her silent friend, walking in a way that makes certain parts of her anatomy shake unnecessarily in my opinion.

'Cheers, Alex,' says James, pretending to wipe his brow in relief, 'She keeps cornering me and asking me out. And I swear she tried to slip me a love potion the other day.'

'No problem.'

He glances at me for a moment as I go back to eating a slice of toast.

'Hey, we should go into Hogsmede together today,' he announces brightly.

I pause halfway through biting a chunk out of the bread in my hand. The last thing on earth that I want to do is spend a day with James attempting to not fancy him. I know my façade won't last and pretty soon he'll realise that I have a thing for him. Now that may not sound particularly catastrophic but I don't want any kind of relationship right now, especially not one with my half friend half enemy.

'Oh I think I'm heading in with Roxanne and Rose,' I say as casually as possible.

'Well that's funny,' says James smirking, 'Because Lysander said that he was taking Roxanne to Hogsmede today.'

Damn it, why hadn't I asked Roxanne about this? Of course I wasn't expecting to need an excuse not to go to Hogsmede with James. When I'd gotten up this morning and headed to breakfast before Rose and Roxanne were up, I'd assumed that we'd meet up later on and head into the village together.

Evidently not.

And then, suddenly Roxanne and Lysander appear, followed closely by Rose, Fred and Frank. They all take seats near James and me, and I quickly take the opportunity to make plans for the day that don't involve me being alone with James.

'Going to Hogsmede today, Rose?' I ask my friend as she takes a seat next to me and picks up a slice of toast.

'No I'm not today,' she says, flicking her glossy brown hair over her shoulder, 'I've got a massive Arithmacy essay due in on Monday so I need to do that. Pick me up some Sugar Quills will you?'

She says all this rather quickly and with an excessively innocent expression on her face that immediately makes me feel suspicious.

I glance towards Roxanne but she's currently glued to Lysander and paying no attention to either me or Rose.

'So you're spending the day studying alone?' I ask rather disbelievingly. Rose may be ridiculously clever and always willing to do an extra bit of homework, but she also jumps at the chance to head into Hogsmede whenever a weekend visit comes around.

'Yep,' she says, looking at her breakfast rather than me.

'I've already said that I'll go with you,' interjects James in a rather exasperated voice, 'What's wrong with me?'

'I just erm prefer being in a group,' I answer rather pathetically.

'You're weird this morning, Krum,' says Fred through a mouthful of bacon, 'Knock yourself on the head with your broomstick?'

'No,' I snap before realising I have another opportunity, 'Hey, Fred, are you going into Hogsmede today?'

'Yep, but not with any of you lot.'

Roxanne detaches herself from Lysander to look sceptically at her brother, 'Who are you going with?'

'Becky Linton,' says Fred smugly, taking a drink of water and grinning.

'Finally worn her down?' asks James.

That's about the right way to put it. Despite being absolutely gorgeous and having a different date every Hogsmede trip, Fred has been infatuated with Becky Linton for years. She's a Ravenclaw Chaser in her seventh year who is very pretty and very funny. She has also failed to respond to any of Fred's advances over the years. Until now apparently.

'Yep,' grins Fred, 'We got talking in Potions yesterday and she agreed to go with me today.'

'So after three years of stalking her, you've finally got her,' laughs Frank.

'Shut up,' snaps Fred, blushing in a very uncharacteristic way, 'Who are you going to Hogsmede with then, Frank?'

Frank stops laughing immediately and mutters something about Head Boy duties.

'Looks like it's just you and me, Krum,' winks James.

* * *

Ten minutes or so later, and James and I are heading out of the castle, with me mentally steeling myself for spending a day alone with him.

Just act normally, I tell myself, it's just a crush and you'll get over it.

The two of us are wandering through the Entrance Hall when I catch sight of Al and Scorpius heading up from the Slytherin common room in the dungeons.

'Al! Scorpius!' I wave them over, thinking that maybe I can convince them to accompany me and James.

'Hey, Alex, James,' says Al pleasantly.

Scorpius, meanwhile, looks rather impatient as though he needs to rush off somewhere.

'Alright, Al,' says James, 'Did you get that letter from Dad about the World Cup tickets?'

I'm completely distracted by this, 'You two are going to the World Cup?' I ask excitedly.

'Yep,' grins Al, 'I take it you are?'

'Right sorry to be rude, but I've got to head off,' says Scorpius suddenly, and with that he disappears down the corridor.

'What's wrong with him?' asks James, 'Woke up this morning and realised he's a Malfoy?'

Al gives him a dirty look, 'I don't know, he said he had an Arithmacy essay to do.'

Hmmm.

'Ah well,' says Al, 'I need to go too, I'm meeting Louise in half an hour.'

Louise Kennedy is a fifth year Gryffindor and Al's on and off girlfriend. Last I'd heard, they'd been off but clearly there's been a reconciliation.

James chuckles, 'Well have fun with that. I'm taking Krum on a date to Hogsmede.'

And with that, he grabs my hand and pulls me out of the castle.

'This isn't a date,' I huff a few minutes later as we approach the village.

'I know,' shrugs James, 'I was just having fun. So, where do you want to go?'

We have a look around the shops, and spend a considerable amount of time in Quality Quidditch Supplies which has just opened a branch in Hogsmede. Neither James nor I need a new broom, but we both examine all the ones for sale anyway.

'The new Firebolt 5 is supposed to be good,' says James, pointing towards a shiny broom taking pride of place in the centre of the shop.

'Nah,' I disagree, 'Apparently it drifts to the left after you've ridden it a few times.'

'Wow.'

'What?' I ask, as I inspect a pair of Montrose Magpie Quidditch robes. Hey, a girl can dream.

'Nothing,' says James, glancing at a pair of Keeper gloves which he has no need for, 'It's just kind of sexy, you know, girls that can talk about Quidditch.'

I raise an eyebrow, 'You think talking about faulty broomsticks is sexy?'

He rolls his eyes, 'Come on, Krum, let's go and get a drink.'

So we head to The Three Broomsticks, somewhere which won't sell us James' favourite Firewhiskey but somewhere which is infinitely better than The Hog's Head, where a persistent fifth year called Vicky is probably waiting in the hope that James will turn up.

Serving at the bar is Lucinda Rosmerta, the niece of Madame Rosmerta who retired a couple of years ago.

'Hey, Lucinda,' winks James, who has always had a soft spot for the barmaid ever since he started going to Hogsmede in third year.

Lucinda rolls her eyes, well accustomed to the flirty behaviour of Hogwarts male students, 'What can I get you two love birds?'

'Oh, we're not together,' I say immediately.

'Answer quicker,' says James, looking more than a little offended.

'Oh,' Lucinda gives us a knowing look, 'Of course you're not. Two Butterbeers?'

I nod and she bustles around making them, leaving a rather awkward silence in her wake. When she returns with two large tankards, I go to pull out my purse but James hands over the money for both the drinks before I get the chance.

'You sure?'

'I think I can stretch to buying you a Butterbeer, Krum,' he says, rolling his eyes.

'Okay well thanks.'

Ignoring the backflips that my stomach is currently doing, I lead us over to a table in the corner of the room. It's only once we're sat down that I realise I've subconsciously chosen the most romantic table in the place- secluded and with the two seats in very close proximity to one another.

James' knee brushes mine, only lightly and he doesn't seem to notice, but it makes me want to jump on him right there.

Okay, maybe not the best thing to do in a pub rammed full of our classmates.

'So, how have your first few weeks been?' asks James conversationally as we sip our drinks.

It takes me a moment to answer, having been focused on his amazingly messy hair instead.

'Oh it's been okay,' I say, recovering quickly, 'A lot of work now that all the teachers are banging on about NEWTs.'

'Ugh, tell me about it,' groans James, leaning casually back in his chair, 'If I pass a single one it'll be amazing.'

I roll my eyes, 'Oh come one James, according to the other guys you can do everything on your first go.'

He tries and fails to look modest, settling for merely shrugging his shoulders.

I laugh and our eyes catch one another. I notice that his are a perfect hazel, but with a swirling ring of darker brown around the outside.

I break the eye contact first, looking down at my Butterbeer and feeling uncharacteristically nervous. Playing Quidditch in front of the entire school? Fine. Sitting alone at a secluded table with James Potter? Terrifying.

I scan my mind to think of something to say. Any conversation starter at all. It's a struggle.

'How are your parents?' I ask wildly after a few moments.

James pulls a face (well I suppose nothing kills a spark of passion quicker than talking about your parents.)

'They're alright, I suppose. How's your Dad?'

'Oh he's good. He's back in Bulgaria at the moment, visiting my Uncle.'

We sit in silence for a moment, both drinking our drinks. Wow this is awkward.

Suddenly, James leans towards me and looks at me intently, 'Alex, I-'

'Hi, guys!'

I groan as Albus bloody Potter appears from nowhere and plonks himself down at our table.

Couldn't he see that James was trying to tell me something important? Perhaps declare undying love for me?

Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

'What do you want?' snaps James, glaring at his younger brother, evidently just as irritated as me.

'Well aren't you friendly,' says Al sarcastically, 'Louise got all stroppy with me again so I thought I'd catch up with you two instead.'

Well isn't that great?

* * *

**If only Al hadn't appeared... **

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

Two hours later and a thoroughly annoyed James and I have just managed to shake off Al, who trailed after us for the rest of the day asking for advice on his problems with Louise. Luckily, just before James seemed likely to completely lose it with his brother, we walked past Hagrid's hut and Al popped in to say hello, leaving James and I alone at last.

What I didn't anticipate was the incredibly awkward atmosphere that Al would leave behind in his wake. James and I both know that something was about to happen before Al appeared, and now that he's gone we both seem incredibly self-conscious of that fact.

'Its practice tomorrow morning,' says James, clearly fishing for something to say as we trek past the Quidditch pitch.

He's talking about Quidditch training now?! God, the boy is even worse at talking about feelings than me evidently.

I'm more than a little irritated with him by the time we reach the castle and he's covered every conversation topic from Potions to the Minister of Magic, all the while ignoring what he was going to say to me in The Three Broomsticks before Al arrived.

'Well, today has been erm nice,' I say feebly as we reach the Entrance Hall and start walking up the main staircase.

'Yep,' says James, not looking at me.

Just as I am about to turn right and head towards the Gryffindor common room, a movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention and makes me head left. Two people have just ducked into an adjoining corridor, evidently not wanting to be seen.

Oh My God.

Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy are kissing, incredibly enthusiastically might I add. I watch them for a moment, wondering just how long they've been secretly together and hiding it from the rest of us.

I then quickly realise how odd it is to be standing in a deserted corridor watching two of my friends kiss, and hastily turn to retrace my steps, knocking into James in my efforts.

'What's going on, Krum?'

He looks at the corridor I've just left and bursts out laughing, 'Are people snogging down there?'

Before I can stop him, he sticks his head around the corner and immediately jumps about a foot in the air.

'What the fuck?'

And then, unbelievingly, he reaches for his wand.

'James, chill out,' I say warningly.

He merely brushed me aside however and charges down the corridor not unlike a raging bull.

Now, despite what they are doing, Rose and Scorpius can't remain oblivious to James Potter running at them with his wand out, and they jump apart so quickly it's all rather comical.

Well, it would be if James didn't look like he was planning on Avada Kedavra- ing Scorpius right now.

I stare, completely horror-struck, as James grabs Scorpius round the neck and pins him to the wall, making the whole thing look incredibly easy despite him only being a couple of inches taller than Scorpius.

'What the hell?' shouts Rose, evidently confused as to how a kissing session with her boyfriend has turned into her boyfriend being attacked by her cousin.

I run up to them and pull out my own wand, ready to knock James off of Scorpius. However, in the time it takes me to do this, Scorpius has shoved James away himself, leaving them standing practically nose to nose with James' wand pointing at Scorpius.

'James!' I yell, 'What is wrong with you?'

James turns a furious face towards me, while still keeping his wand aimed at Scorpius, 'She's practically my sister and he's a Malfoy!'

There's a loud bang, a flash and James is almost knocked off his feet. I glance at Scorpius, expecting to see his wand out, but then I realise the culprit was actually Rose. My God she looks annoyed; I would not want to be James right now.

James straightens himself up and aims for Scorpius again. Without really thinking, I throw myself between the two, meaning James accidently slams into my shoulder instead of Scorpius.

'Ouch!' I complain, rubbing my arm.

'Alex, I'm really sorry,' says James, completely distracted by my injury, 'I didn't mean to.'

I move my shoulder around a bit; it's fine. James Potter on the other hand, won't be for much longer.

'What is your problem?' I demand, 'They're just two people kissing for God's sake!'

'He shouldn't be anywhere near her!'

'It's not up to you to decide who I date,' says Rose, rounding on James with a rather scary expression on her face.

Scorpius meanwhile looks rather dazed at the whole experience. Poor lad.

'Oh yes it is!' shouts James, 'If you're going to choose a Malfoy! And I think Ron will agree with me when I tell him.'

Rose's eyes narrow and she points her own wand at James, 'If you dare say anything to my dad- ' Words seem to fail her, she is so angry.

'Oh come on, Rose, let's go,' says Scorpius, taking her hand and shooting a death glare at James.

I watch them walk off together, unsure if I'll ever recover from the drama of the past five minutes. To be honest the fact that they are dating isn't that much of a surprise. There have been endless excuses like today's Arithmacy essay, all of which were obviously a ploy to spend time alone together. For a moment I feel briefly hurt that Rose didn't confide in me, but then I think of James' reaction and don't blame her for wanting to keep it quiet.

James watches them go for a moment, clearly debating whether or not to run after them and rugby tackle Scorpius.

'What the hell was that?' I demand furiously.

He turns round to face me, an outraged expression on his face, 'I can't believe you're okay with this!'

'Why wouldn't I be okay with it? And even if I wasn't, it has nothing to do with me. Or you!'

He stands there glaring at me for moment and muttering about traitors.

Well, I need not have worried about the Hogsmede trip, because this little debacle has definitely turned me off James. Who cares if Rose and Scorpius are together? It's great if they like each other.

He shakes his head at me disgustedly, 'You don't understand.'

'What I don't understand, James, is why you acted like you're on day release from Azkaban!'

And with that, I stomp off in the same direction that Scorpius and Rose went in, and storm back to Gryffindor common room, fuming all the way.

I don't quite know why I'm so annoyed; that honour should probably be reserved for Rose and Scorpius. But something about James' reaction just made me realise how much of a twat he is. I mean, who the hell cares what Draco Malfoy did twenty five years ago? Scorpius is a completely different person to his father.

I'm still angry when I reach the common room and find Rose and Roxanne sitting together, Rose shouting loudly about something and Roxanne looking both outraged and a tiny bit scared.

'I mean, what is it to do with him?' complains Rose, as I approach, 'It's up to me and Scorpius if we want to be together.'

'Oh hi Alex!' says Roxanne, clearly pleased that someone else has arrived to share Rose's anger.

I take a seat next to them, and Rose quickly rounds on me.

'Alex, tell Roxanne just how out of order James was!'

'Yeah he was a bit of a prat,' I admit, 'Not that that's tricky for James bloody Potter.'

Roxanne narrows her eyes at me, 'I thought you two had been getting on better?'

I shrug, 'Yeah funnily enough, seeing him attempt to murder Scorpius put me off him a bit.'

Rose, meanwhile, folds her arms, leans back in her chair and assumes a furious expression. I would not want to be James when he arrives in the common room.

'Hey, guys,' says Fred, wandering over with Frank and Lysander. He catches sight of Rose's face and recoils slightly, 'Whoa, who died?'

Rose turns her gaze on him, 'For your information, Fred Weasley, James has just attempted to kill Scorpius.'

Now that is a tad bit of an exaggeration, but I'm so annoyed with James I don't contradict her.

'Why?' asks Fred, looking confused. Then a look of comprehension floods his face, 'Oh!'

'You know, you two really haven't been very discreet,' says Lysander, sitting on the arm of Roxanne's armchair, 'We've all suspected something's been going on for ages.'

'Well clearly James has been oblivious,' I mutter, 'He completely flew off the handle.'

'Well, I can see his point,' comments Fred before immediately backtracking when he catches Rose's eye, 'But obviously it was wrong.'

'Well it definitely put an end to my crush,' I mutter absent-mindedly, not really thinking about what I'm saying.

Silence.

I look up from my chair to see five faces staring open mouthed at me.

Oh fuck.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

'I knew it!' yells Roxanne, jumping out of her chair and knocking a bemused Lysander to the floor.

'I didn't!' complains Fred, 'Why am I always the last one to know about these things?'

'You're not,' I hiss quietly so that a nearby group of second years who are looking curiously at us can't hear what I say, 'I'd not told anyone. It was just a little crush.'

But that excuse does not seem to work and even Rose forgets her anger to interrogate me about James.

'Ask him out!'

'I'm sure he likes you too!'

'We'll be cousins in law!'

'Shut up!' I scream at them all.

This is exactly why I'd kept my feelings for James quiet and hoped that they would pass! I knew that as soon as one of this lot found out then I'd never hear the end of it.

'Harry Potter's son and Viktor Krum's daughter,' whistles Fred, taking Roxanne's empty seat and leaning back in it with a satisfied grin, 'The Prophet would have a field day.'

'Oh God,' I cringe, imagining the amount of attention we'd receive.

'You'd be perfect together!' whines Roxanne, looking around at the others for support.

'Perfect together? Roxanne, we can't go five minutes without wanting to kill one another!'

'That's hot,' winks Lysander.

I give him a withering look and turn back to Roxanne, 'My feelings for him are over, anyway.'

There's silence for a few moments as five faces, each wearing increasingly disappointed expressions, stare at me.

'Oh and just to make this clear,' I say in a dangerous voice, 'None of you are to say anything to James.'

* * *

To be fair to them, Rose, Roxanne, Fred, Lysander and Frank all keep their promises and when I get down to breakfast the next morning I can tell that nothing has been said.

In fact, they all seem to have tired of the situation very quickly. Roxanne and Lysander are kissing over their toast, while Frank is trying to distract Fred from this very sight by talking loudly about Quidditch. Rose, meanwhile, is muttering under her breath about James, no doubt still furious about what happened yesterday.

'Hey, Rose.'

Scorpius and Al have wandered over to the table, both looking rather apprehensive. I'm guessing Al has been filled in on events and drafted in as a bodyguard in case James flies off the handle again.

'Hey,' breaths Rose, looking much happier now.

I budge along the table and let Al and Scorpius sit in between me and Rose. Predictably, Scorpius and Rose lean their heads together and start talking amongst themselves, leaving me and Al to chat.

'So, apparently you got a bit annoyed with James as well,' says Al, helping himself to some bacon.

I notice Roxanne breaks apart from Lysander to give me a significant look.

'Yeah, well he was acting like a twat,' I say, ignoring Roxanne completely.

'It's not polite to bitch about people, Krum,' mutters a new voice irritably.

Oh shit.

James has arrived and thrown himself down next to Fred. He does not look happy, especially when he catches sight of Rose and Scorpius looking rather intimate.

'Sorry,' I say, rather embarrassed that he heard me, 'But you did act like an idiot.'

'That's true!' exclaims Rose furiously.

James spares her one glare before turning his attention back to me, 'You don't know what you're talking about.'

'Calm down, James,' says Al quietly, evidently alarmed by his brother's tone.

James sits in silence for a few moments, shooting glares at everyone.

This boy seriously needs to chill out.

'So, its Quidditch practice later,' says Frank in an incredibly transparent attempt to break the tension.

'Don't remind me,' I mutter; there is nothing I want to do less than spend the morning with James.

'That's not the attitude I want my Chasers to have,' snaps James, 'Keep it up and you're off the team.'

'Why are you acting like such a tosser this morning?'

'Oh I don't know, maybe because of how mad you got with me yesterday!'

'You deserved it! It's not up to you to decide that Rose and Scorpius shouldn't be going out!'

'That's nothing to do with you Krum! You know what? I'm fucking glad that Al interrupted me before I could say what I was going to say in The Three Broomsticks.'

And with that, I jump up from the table and storm out of the hall, willing myself not to cry.

Dramatic much?

* * *

The next couple of months are like first year all over again. James and I seem to have gone back to hating one another, and doing our best to cause arguments wherever possible. We have full blown rows on the Quidditch pitch and even have to be physically separated twice in the common room.

It is the most messed up situation I've ever seen. I'm now certain that James was going to say he liked me that day in Hogsmede, but now those feelings are well gone.

What with all of the James drama, it's a relief when the Christmas holidays arrive. Normally I make an effort to see Rose and Roxanne as much as possible during the two weeks off, but this year I just want to go home and forget about everything Hogwarts related for two weeks.

The train ride home is uncomfortable. I share a compartment with Rose, Scorpius and Al; Roxanne and Lysander are together in their own compartment, refusing to take either mine or James' side.

Rose and Scorpius, meanwhile, aren't so fussy, although after watching them kiss for two hours, I begin to wish that they were.

'For God's sake guys, can you two leave each other alone for one minute!' yells Al after a particularly enthusiastic session.

'Sorry,' says Scorpius, looking slightly embarrassed but rather pleased with himself.

'What are your plans for the holidays?' asks Rose, who is rather pink cheeked herself.

I laugh for the first time in ages, 'Not much. Eating, sleeping, that kind of thing.'

Rose pulls a face; spending two weeks not doing anything productive would be her idea of hell.

'So I take it you won't be coming round to mine at any point?' asks Al.

'Has your brother moved out yet?'

'Unfortunately not.'

'Then no, I will not.'

* * *

When the train pulls into King's Cross, my father is standing on the platform waving happily. I say goodbye to my friends, promise to write and then head over to him, glad to have two weeks just with my family.

'Hi Dad,' I say, hugging him.

'Hello, Alex, how was the term?'

'Oh it was good,' I say, having already resolved not to say anything to my parents about James. My Dad and Harry get on well, so Dad has met James a few times over the years, and thinks he's brilliant. If there was even a suggestion about anything going on between us, my Dad would be over the moon and would never let me forget it.

'Where's Mum?' I ask, changing the subject to a safer topic.

'She couldn't get the afternoon off work. I think we're going to have to meet her at the Ministry tonight, she doesn't think she's going to have time to come home?'

'We're going to the ministry tonight?'

'Yes, it's the Christmas party remember?'

Of course. The Ministry of Magic Christmas party is an annual, extremely extravagant affair. All of the staff are invited to a delicious feast followed by a dance. My father was promoted to the Head of Magical Games and Sports last year, so he was one of the first to get an invite.

'I thought it'd be nice if we all went as a family. Your mother and I haven't seen you for two and a half months, remember?'

'Yeah it'll be good,' I say earnestly.

It's not until we get home and I'm in my room choosing a suitable outfit that I'm brought back to reality with a painful bump.

What if the Head of the Auror Office is thinking along the same lines?!

* * *

By the time I arrive at the Ministry with Dad, my nerves are at breaking point. I really do not want to see James Potter tonight, and find myself desperately wishing that either Harry couldn't get a spare ticket (unlikely) or that James wanted to miss the party (even more unlikely.)

I am determined to look good in case I do run into him, however. So I've curled my dark brown hair into ringlets, slicked on some rather daring red lipstick and chosen a dress in the same bold colour.

Not that I'm trying to make an effort or anything.

When we enter the main room, everyone is mingling before dinner is served. I shoot subtle glances around the room, looking out for a tall guy with messy black hair. I can't see James although this doesn't reassure me; I have a horrible, paranoid feeling that he's going to suddenly appear from nowhere and catch me off guard.

'Are you okay Alex?' asks my father.

'Oh yeah I'm fine.'

I can tell he's about to interrogate me further but, thankfully, the Minister for Magic himself walks over to us at this exact moment.

'Good evening, Viktor,' says Percy Weasley, shaking my father's hand.

'Hello, Percy. This is my daughter, Alex, and my wife Katie should be here any moment.'

Percy smiles at me and shakes my hand warmly, 'Yes, Molly and Lucy have told me about you. A good Quidditch player, I hear.'

'Thank you very much, sir,' I say, feeling slightly embarrassed that someone as important as the Minister for Magic is talking to me about Quidditch.

'Hello Percy, Viktor.'

My stomach drops unpleasantly as Harry Potter himself appears and shakes my father and Percy's hands. And, because someone up there obviously hates me, James isn't far behind him.

I look up to say a fleeting hello to James so that the adults don't get suspicious, and find myself unable to speak.

Wow, he looks amazing.

His dress robes are dark and somehow bring out the perfect hazel of his eyes, as well as making him look even taller than usual. His hair isn't its usual mess but is somewhat artistically ruffled; I have to exercise considerable self-control in order to stop myself running my hands through it there and then.

I don't realise that I'm staring at him with my mouth wide open until he says, 'you look nice, Krum.'

I find myself blushing in a rather uncharacteristic way. Did James just tell me I look nice? We've been close to killing one another for two months, for God's sake!

'Erm, yeah so do you,' I stutter inarticulately.

Harry grins knowingly, looking exactly like Al in the process, and raises his eyebrows at my father and Percy, 'Shall we leave them to it?'

The three of them move across the room and start talking with a couple of other Ministry employees, leaving James and I staring at one another, unsure what to say.

'I'm sorry,' we both say simultaneously and then burst out laughing.

'What the hell is wrong with us?' I muse.

'Tell me about it. We've definitely got a love-hate relationship going on, Krum.'

Did he just use the L word?!

Okay, admittedly he said hate as well, but oh well!

'Maybe we should both stop being so stubborn?' I suggest.

'Yeah it would probably help,' laughs James, 'our problem is that we're too similar.'

'Yeah,' I laugh and then hug him, partly because I'm glad we've made up but mainly because he's so damn sexy right now.

Our hug lasts way too long to be considered friendly and we break apart looking a little flustered. I glance around, well aware that we're in a room full of Ministry of Magic employees and our parents.

James seems to read my mind, 'Want to get some fresh air?'

I nod and he leads the way out of the party room into a long corridor full of doors.

'Hmm,' he says with a mischievous look in his eye, as he opens one of them.

Then suddenly, he takes my hand and pulls me into what is a rather impressive looking office.

And then we're kissing, and it is the best sensation in the world. I've kissed a couple of guys before but that was nothing compared to James. Wow, he is amazing at this!

I wrap my arms round his neck, and then change my mind and run my hands through his amazing hair. From his reaction I can tell he likes that.

We break apart for a moment's breath, both of us looking incredibly dishevelled. Of course, this only makes James look even sexier.

'Where are we?' I breathe.

James grins wickedly and gestures to the plaque on the ornate desk.

_Percy Weasley, Minister for Magic._

I burst out laughing and pull James towards me.

Best night ever.

* * *

**So something has finally happened between them! Hope you liked the chapter.**

**Drop me a review? :) **


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